Assistance Programs in Maine

General Assistance is Maine's municipal safety-net program that helps people meet immediate basic needs when they cannot afford them, including rent, mortgage, room rent, temporary housing, heating fuel, food, and household supplies. Apply in person at your local town or city office, and help is paid as a voucher directly to the vendor. If you cannot reach your local office, call the state hotline at 1-800-442-6003.

HEAP is Maine's LIHEAP heating help for income-eligible homeowners and renters, covering fuel costs, emergency fuel delivery, and some energy-related repairs and utility payments. Local Community Action Agencies handle applications, not MaineHousing directly. Apply online, or find your local agency by zip code. The 2026-2027 season opened August 3, 2026 and runs until funds run out or May 29, 2027. For more information call 1-877-544-3271.

Free home energy-efficiency work for income-eligible Maine households: a home energy assessment first, then air sealing, insulation, and heating-system improvements that lower future bills. Community Action Agencies deliver the program across Maine. Homeowners, renters, and owners of small 2- to 4-unit buildings can qualify. Contact your local Community Action Agency to apply, since applying for HEAP also puts you in line for weatherization.

SNAP, called the Food Supplement Program in Maine, puts monthly food money on an EBT card you use like a debit card at most grocery stores. Apply online through My Maine Connection at mymaineconnection.gov, the state's one application that also covers MaineCare and TANF, or by phone through the Office for Family Independence at 1-855-797-4357, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm.

WIC gives healthy food, nutrition education, breastfeeding and lactation support, and health referrals to pregnant and postpartum people, infants, and children up to age 5. Maine WIC runs through local agencies across the state and is open to anyone living in Maine, including migrant workers. Contact your local WIC office to apply, or call 1-800-437-9300 for more information.

MaineCare is Maine's Medicaid program, free or low-cost health insurance for children, pregnant people, parents, older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income adults. Maine expanded MaineCare, so low-income adults now qualify on income alone. Apply online through My Maine Connection at mymaineconnection.gov, or call the Office for Family Independence at 1-855-797-4357.

Maine's Earned Income Credit is refundable and equal to 25 percent of your federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or 50 percent for workers with no qualifying children. Because it is refundable for Maine residents and part-year residents, it can pay out as cash even if you owe no state tax. Claim it on Form 1040ME, Schedule A. Questions go to Maine Revenue Services at income.tax@maine.gov.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, TANF, is Maine's monthly cash assistance for low-income families with children and pregnant people. Most adults take part in the ASPIRE work program, which helps you move toward a job. Apply online through My Maine Connection at mymaineconnection.gov, or call the Office for Family Independence at 1-855-797-4357, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm, and choose the TANF option.

Temporary weekly payments if you lost work through no fault of your own, from the Maine Department of Labor. File online through ReEmployME, which is the fastest way, or call the claim center at 1-800-593-7660, Monday through Friday, 8am to 3pm. TTY users dial Maine Relay 711.

Pine Tree Legal Assistance gives free civil legal help to low-income Maine residents on housing and eviction, public benefits like SNAP, TANF, and MaineCare, consumer and debt problems, and more. Call the statewide line at 207-942-8322 during call-in hours: Mondays 12pm to 2:30pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays 9am to 11:30am. Interpreters are free. Free legal information is at ptla.org.

Dial 2-1-1 from any Maine phone, or call 1-866-811-5695, for free, confidential help finding local assistance with housing, utilities, food, healthcare, and more. 211 Maine answers around the clock, every day, in all languages. You can also text your zip code to 898-211, or call 1-877-463-6207 from out of state.